GBTC Goes 1-2 at Eastern States

Kittery, ME to Salisbury, MA - 20 Miles

February 20, 1998

GBTC Rules at Eastern States 20

by Dave Camire

Start of the ES20photo Kevin Molloy

Salisbury, MA - The Eastern States 20-Miler (AKA Border-to-Border) returned today after a two-year hiatus under the able direction of Cool Running editor Don Allison. As has become a tradition with this race, the 538 official entrants were greeted with an unusually mild February day as temperatures hovered around the fifty degree mark. It was so mild that many runners opted to wear shorts and t-shirts.

The early buzz of the day was the news that former World Cross-Country Champion Lynn Jennings of nearby Newmarket, New Hampshire was an entrant. Why Jennings decided to run the ES20 was anyone's guess and she certainly wasn't telling. Although Jennings easily won her division, the real story of the day was the resurgence of the Greater Boston Track. It is well documented that the GBTC was the preeminent running club in the World during the 1970's with the likes of Bill Rodgers, Greg Meyer, Bob Hodge, Randy Thomas and company. However since then, the GBTC has been somewhat competitively dormant. It appears that era coming to an end as the GBTC is making a strong comeback under the able direction of coach Tom Derderian. The 1-2 finish of GBTC's Dynamic Duo of Jesse Darley and Jim Pawlicki today was evidence of that comeback.

Darley and Pawlicki ran most of the race together until they reached mile sixteen. At that point Pawlicki decided to make a break from Darley and the BAA's Ron Moreau. Pawlicki pushed the pace for the next three miles with Darley in pursuit. It was at this point that Pawlicki decided to treat the run for what it was meant - a good training run for Boston. As the two runners approached the finish it looked more like a race for second as they slowed to almost a walk while deciding who would take top honors. As Darley said, " Jim and I finished together and he was gracious enough to let me cross the finish line first."

Moreau, Pawlicki and Darleyphoto Kevin Molloy

Second place women finisher Lynne Schuler of Charlestown didn't have the luxury of deciding who would finish first because the before mentioned Jennings took the top spot. Schuler was using the ES20 as training for the Maine Marathon. Now that's a long-term plan! Schuler said, "It was a good day, but there was a head wind the whole way. You know we all look for excuses, but it was a little windy and it would have been nice to have it at our backs, " she continued.

Finishing fourth overall was the last B2B winner Dave Beauley of Nashua, NH. Beauley, who finished in 1:54:29, is the president of the Nashua, NH based Gate City Striders. GCS had the distinction of having the largest contingent of any participating club in this year's race. Beauley is a throw back of sorts. Besides being an accomplished runner, he puts a tremendous amount of energy into promoting the sport. For quite a time after finishing he stood near the chutes high fiving and congratulating many of the runners who finished behind him. It's this type of attitude and sportsmanship that makes running a very special and unique sport and makes the ES20 a special event.